“Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID” was a year-long project convened by Ohio State University Professors Harmony Bench (Associate Professor, Department of Dance), Yana Hashamova (Professor and Chair of the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures), Hannah Kosstrin (Associate Professor, Department of Dance), and Danielle Schoon (Senior Lecturer, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures), and funded by a Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme Special Grants Initiative.
This project sought to study the impact of COVID-19 and quarantine experiences on artistic and cultural production by examining historical precedents, considering audiences in their social contexts, and imagining possible futures based on how audiences are currently forming. The heart of the project was a year-long series of 15 curated online events responding to the impacts of COVID restrictions on both research and arts practices. In total, 48 presentations were given through these curated events, many of which were open to the public, and attracted audience members from Australia, Turkey, Israel, Germany, Austria, England, and France. Nearly 650 registrants from around the world took part in the offerings throughout the year. In addition to these presentations, a short documentary was commissioned (co-funded by the Bulgarian studies endowment) which creatively recorded Bulgarians’ responses to governments’ handlings of Chernobyl and COVID. Since the end of March, the video generated 5,000+ views and comments from around the world.
This final video trailer offers an overview of the project as a whole. Enjoy!